Minnesota Credit Freeze Instructions

To place a freeze, you must write to each of the three credit bureaus. Credit bureaus charge a $5 fee to place or remove a security freeze, unless you provide proof that you are a victim of identity theft, in which case there is no fee. A copy of your police report or a police case number documenting identity theft must be included. Write to all three addresses below and include the information that follows:

Equifax Security Freeze P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348

Experian Security Freeze P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013

Trans Union Security Freeze P.O. Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

For each, you must:

Send a letter by certified mail

If you are a victim of identity theft, you must include a copy of either the police report or case number documenting the identity theft

Provide your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.,) address, Social Security number, and date of birth

If you have moved in the past 5 years, supply the addresses where you have lived over the prior 5 years

Provide proof of current address such as a current utility bill or phone bill

Send a photocopy of a government issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, military identification, etc.)

If applicable, include payment by check, money order or credit card (Visa, Master Card, American Express or Discover cards only.)

Background on Security Freeze

If you are a resident of Minnesota, you have had the right as of August 1, 2006 to place a credit freeze on your credit report if you are a victim of identity theft who has filed a police, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft. A Credit Freeze will prevent access to your credit report, allowing you to control which companies may see your credit report. However, there are certain exemptions to the Credit Freeze allowed by state law that allows companies to view your report even though it is frozen.

Author: Dave Nielsen

I started using computers in 1978 on the Apple II and was first online (using my “high-speed” 1200 baud modem) in 1989. I’ve managed web sites for several Fortune 500 companies and for internet start-ups.
Working for one of those start-ups is what brought me into the world of credit. I was part of the the executive team that ran QSpace, the first company to offer credit reports over the internet.